Majors to ban unqualified subcontractor supervisors

Major contractors are to clamp down on unqualified site supervisors working for subcontractors.

From the start of 2010 all frontline supervisors and foremen working on the sites of the 29 big firms within the UK Contractors' Group will be vetted to check they are properly qualified. Those that are not will be banned from overseeing teams of subcontractors.

Members of the UKCG have all signed up to a new standard that requires all frontline supervisors to be able to demonstrate they have passed the relevant safety and supervisory training.

In practice this will mean submitting a certificate or card that shows they are fully trained.

Supervisors working with foreign language gangs need to demonstrate they can effectively communicate with their workers.

Stephen Ratcliffe, director of UKCG, said: "We identified the need to tighten up the competence of supervisors to help improve health and safety. This standard is the means by which members will tackle the issue."